


Happiness

by mademoisellePlume



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 11:58:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1145714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mademoisellePlume/pseuds/mademoisellePlume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just once, everything can end in happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> Justanotherghostwriter said she'd like to see me write something that actually ends in happiness. So I thought I'd try something with a few more smiles!

 

Cassie's brow knitted as she stared at the television. Marco was the best actor of all of them, the best at blending into society and seeming like there were barely any cracks in his soul. 

(Once, she’d had a nightmare that his hands were strangely paler then the rest of him, carefully bleached clean of all the blood that had been caked on.)

But this was…  _too_  happy. She’d never seen such a sincere smile from Marco that was also so intolerably bland. 

 _He wasn’t joking_. The host of this late night show was having to make up the difference with extra jokes, mostly extremely forced, while Marco explained how happy he was to have reconnected with Jake.

Of course, she was thrilled that their leader had become close with Marco again. That he'd felt able to reach out. It was a good, necessary step for him, one she had hoped that he would take. 

"And of course, I’ve gone ahead and invited the Jake-man and Birdboy to move into my house."

**…. _And Tobias?_**

Something was up.

The next day at work, her boss asked her why Ax would have left his position as a Prince in the Andalite fleet.

She’s baffled. “He wouldn’t do that. I didn’t know he had.”

Her boss looked bewildered and when her boss looked bewildered, they also looked annoyed. “He’s applying for permanent residency on Earth. Wants to help Jake Berenson with his recovery, according to him. He has a temporary visa right now, but it doesn’t really fit with the sort of Andalite behaviour we’re used to seeing. I thought that you might have more insight, what with your shared history and all.”

Cassie spun a pen in her fingers. “He’s different then most of the others. It comes from having spent more time with us at a young age, fighting for our survival as a species. Time spent seeing Jake as a Prince.” She thought for a moment, and then put the pen down, standing up and pulling on her jacket. “I’m going to go talk to Jake. See what he thinks. I’ll let you know.”

Her boss nodded, and Cassie left.

She could take a plane to get to Marco's place, it was true. But morphing wasn’t something she was able to do a lot these days. She makes the trip in spurts of two hours, relearning the joy of flight all over again.

Cassie finds herself at Marco’s mansion, some strange mixture of apprehension and hope curdling in her stomach.

Tobias, Ax and Marco were all with Jake now? And Marco had looked so happy on the show... Now apparently Ax wanted to commit full time to being on Earth. And Tobias just being there spoke so many volumes you could fill a library.

They had to have something to give them hope, right?

That or there was something very wrong that they were hoping to contain.

If that was the case, once they dealt with that, the boys would have to deal with her irritation at being left out of a dangerous situation. They seemed to think she was made of glass, sometimes.

She landed at the front door, demorphed, and knocked.

No butler answers. Instead, it’s Ax. 

<Cassie! It has been too long. We weren’t expecting you.>

He touches her cheek in a hello kiss and she pecks the back of his hand in return. 

"I thought you guys could use a visit! I hear Marco’s house is more crowded then usual."

Ax’s eyes were smiling, and she could see every body language cue that meant joy in an Andalite she’d ever learnt.

<We’re all here, and it’s long past time you were too, Cassie.>

He turned and lead her deeper into the house, and she closed the door behind her before following him in. His tailblade looks a little dull, which was odd for him. 

"Cassie!" She jumped. That voice was barely one she recognized, and she saw Tobias standing on the ground. Wearing pants and a t-shirt. And shoes. He’s sleepy-eyed, rubbing one eye with one hand and actually smiling at her, with genuine pleasure in the smile.

Okay, something was wrong, but they weren’t trying to contain it. She stared at him. “Tobias?” He moved forwards and hugged her and she returned it, though she pulled away quickly enough, holding him at arm’s length. “Tobias, are you okay?”

He nods, and she wondered how long he was asleep. His hair is a mess. “More than. I don’t think I’ve been this okay for a long time.”

<My shorm is doing very well, this past week he’s been with us. It’s only been three days since he made his decision.>

They both started moving again, and Cassie stood still, staring at them. They couldn’t mean Tobias had decided to stay human, had they? 

She followed, but was fiddling with the leg of her leotard. She didn’t like this.

Jake and Marco sat at a table, drinking tea, and they both smiled to see her. Marco got up to sling an arm around her shoulders.

"I told you she’d come to us, Jake my man. She missed us too."

Jake’s smile seemed a bit strained. “Looks like you were right, Marco.”

As sad as it was, the strain was welcome to see. A sign that someone was acting a little normal. “I heard Ax had left the military, and everyone seemed to be collecting here, according to the interview last night. Thought I should come check on everyone.” She pecked Marco’s cheek and he was beaming.

Jake didn’t get up to offer her a hug, but got her a cup from the cabinet, a new set then the last time she’d been here. Marco wasted money often, so that wasn't odd. He poured her tea, adding just the right amount of milk and sugar. She took a moment to admire the prettily made teacup, with a lovely golden rim around the top. 

"I thought it was time we be together again." He told her.

She sipped the tea, and sighed. It tasted delicious, and was much-needed after flying so far. “It’s nice to see you looking better. Happier. You’ve been so depressed.” She told him, honestly, sinking into the seat next to him.

He looked down.

She put the cup down and reached out, taking one of his hands in both of hers. “Jake. What’s going on? Really?”

It took him a moment to look at her, and she’s a little stunned by the fierce look in his eyes. “We’ve all punished ourselves enough. We’ve been apart too long, we’ve suffered too long. We’ve done too much. It’s time to just… be happy.”

That is not a good expression on his face. That’s not a good sort of thing to say when the happiness of the others’ is concerning her. “Jake. Did you do something?” She tried to frown at him, but seemingly the pleasure of seeing the boy she’d always loved so dearly was making it hard to do so, despite her sudden suspicion. Her lips wouldn't turn down.

"I’ve fixed everything for us." He told her, and flashed his teeth in an uncertain grin.

"…What?"

Funny. His cup had no golden rim.

"Don’t worry, Cassie. You’re with us now." He touched her face, and she smiled softly at him. "Everything’s okay now."

She leant her face into his touch. “I’m so glad. I missed you.”

It’s been so long since she was this happy. 


End file.
